Troubles from without
Once again Hamas' Palestinian government is tripped by its foreign branches, this time courtesy of Hamas reprsentative in Lebanon.
Only a few weeks after it seems Hamas' Syrian branch was in charge of the insertion of weapons into Jordan with the aim of targeting important instilations and dampening relations with Jordan; Hamas' Lebanon representative is dampening relations inside the Palestinian Authority in a way that would destroy Hamas' ability to achieve any sort of compromise with Fatah armed militants.
The Hamas representative in Lebanon noted in Hezbollah's Al-Manar television that his organization has skillfuly managed to circumvent American boycott of Hamas' government and transfered money into the PA government. The anount of money was probably not much since even Arab banks have been encouraging Hamas to close its accounts in their branches for fear of an American retaliation on their business; but the amount of money does not matter. It is the simple fact, whether true or not, that money is rumored to have gotten into the hands of Hamas.
If that is the case, Fatah members of the Palestinian Authority's 160 thousand strong civil service and security apparatus are going to expect to see their salaries soon, whether the money is there or not. If they do not see it, they are likely to blame Hamas of withholding their salary; an accusation that will not only hurt Hamas' attempt to portray itself as the government of all Palestinians, but will also cause a new wave of violence on the part of Fatah militant groups who already have been seizing various Palestinian offices demanding money and better jobs and an end to what they see as Hamas' discrimination against their people.
In light of this it is not surprising that Hamas' foreign minister Mahmoud A-Zahr, after his meeting with Egyptian foreign minister, was quick to anounce that any money that would be arriving in the government's hands would arrive in an open and legal manner. This is done in order to dispel the rumors as well as to make sure that Hamas is seen as if it is running an accountable government, something the organization campaigned on.
This recent event and the Jordan affair are not the only times Hamas' branches abroad have landed the Palestinian Authority's government into trouble; causing internal stir inside the occupied territories. A few weeks ago it was Hamas' exiled political leader in Syria Haled Mash'al who implied Fatah members were traitors to the Palestinian cause after President Abbas condemned the latest suicide bombing in Tel Aviv to counter the bad impression created by Hamas. That remark has sparked civil unrest in the territories between Hamas and Fatah supporting groups, pushing Hamas government away from the order it has promised to restore.
If this state of affairs continues and Hamas branches abroad continue to put sticks in the wheels of the Hamas government, it would not be surprising if Hamas' prime minister Ismayiel Hannia follows through on his threat after the "Fatah traitors" remark, and resigns.
Tags:
Middle East, Palestinians, Hamas, Terrorism, Lebanon, Syria, Hezbollah, Israel
Only a few weeks after it seems Hamas' Syrian branch was in charge of the insertion of weapons into Jordan with the aim of targeting important instilations and dampening relations with Jordan; Hamas' Lebanon representative is dampening relations inside the Palestinian Authority in a way that would destroy Hamas' ability to achieve any sort of compromise with Fatah armed militants.
The Hamas representative in Lebanon noted in Hezbollah's Al-Manar television that his organization has skillfuly managed to circumvent American boycott of Hamas' government and transfered money into the PA government. The anount of money was probably not much since even Arab banks have been encouraging Hamas to close its accounts in their branches for fear of an American retaliation on their business; but the amount of money does not matter. It is the simple fact, whether true or not, that money is rumored to have gotten into the hands of Hamas.
If that is the case, Fatah members of the Palestinian Authority's 160 thousand strong civil service and security apparatus are going to expect to see their salaries soon, whether the money is there or not. If they do not see it, they are likely to blame Hamas of withholding their salary; an accusation that will not only hurt Hamas' attempt to portray itself as the government of all Palestinians, but will also cause a new wave of violence on the part of Fatah militant groups who already have been seizing various Palestinian offices demanding money and better jobs and an end to what they see as Hamas' discrimination against their people.
In light of this it is not surprising that Hamas' foreign minister Mahmoud A-Zahr, after his meeting with Egyptian foreign minister, was quick to anounce that any money that would be arriving in the government's hands would arrive in an open and legal manner. This is done in order to dispel the rumors as well as to make sure that Hamas is seen as if it is running an accountable government, something the organization campaigned on.
This recent event and the Jordan affair are not the only times Hamas' branches abroad have landed the Palestinian Authority's government into trouble; causing internal stir inside the occupied territories. A few weeks ago it was Hamas' exiled political leader in Syria Haled Mash'al who implied Fatah members were traitors to the Palestinian cause after President Abbas condemned the latest suicide bombing in Tel Aviv to counter the bad impression created by Hamas. That remark has sparked civil unrest in the territories between Hamas and Fatah supporting groups, pushing Hamas government away from the order it has promised to restore.
If this state of affairs continues and Hamas branches abroad continue to put sticks in the wheels of the Hamas government, it would not be surprising if Hamas' prime minister Ismayiel Hannia follows through on his threat after the "Fatah traitors" remark, and resigns.
Tags:
Middle East, Palestinians, Hamas, Terrorism, Lebanon, Syria, Hezbollah, Israel
posted by The Middle East News Addict at 9:18 PM
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